


You're broken. Inside and out.

by insaneinlv



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Children of Thanos, Gen, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-19
Updated: 2019-09-19
Packaged: 2020-10-21 14:30:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20695097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/insaneinlv/pseuds/insaneinlv
Summary: Ok, so, we know that Thanos used the mind stone to take over Loki's mind, and that during Avengers Loki was under his control. Marvel confirmed this for real. (For the record, us Loki stans have known this for forever, but whatever) But that leaves us to wonder:What on earth happened to Loki during that time?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story is basically what I think could have happened to Loki before Avengers and after Thor. It's probably not true, but we may never know what really happened. It's fun to speculate anyway.  
Based on the symptoms he exhibited in the beginning of Avengers, (Pallid, sweaty, sunken eyes, stumbling, fatigue) my best guess is heat exhaustion; heat torture, otherwise known as sweatbox torture.  
I don't think I made the torture scene that scary. I can't really stomach that stuff. But here is your warning:  
There is torture.  
Loki is very broken by the end of this story. It was very saddening to write.(My poor baby!!) This short story is setting him up for Avengers.  
  
Ok, I think that's everything. Enjoy!
> 
> -Insaneinlv has left the chat

Loki stirred. Everything hurt. What had happened to him? The last thing he could remember was…

He opened his eyes. Nose to nose with him was a bald blue girl with a metal eye. Before he could blink, the girl rose and turned around.

“He’s awake. Shall we take him to Father?”

Loki took in his surroundings quick as lightning. He was in a cell, that much he knew. He thought he was on a ship, but he couldn’t be sure. He reached for a dagger and found none. They had searched him. Silently, thinking quickly, he rose up and punched the girl in the back of the head. She stumbled, but recovered her balance and turned around. Shock paralyzed Loki. Her skin was metal. She growled a battle cry and punched him. He nearly fell down, but stood his ground. He sized her up. Just as he was deciding to take her on in a fight, another girl stepped out from behind her. She shocked him even more than the blue girl did. The mechanical girl was Kree, he knew that. The other had black and pink hair and green skin. She had silver markings on her face. She was a Zen-Whoberis. Her species was supposed to be dead.

“Who are you?” He asked her. The blue girl spoke.

“We are children of Thanos. You soon will be, too.”

Loki looked to the blue girl. He blinked.

“Who?”

She snarled but said nothing more. The Zen-Whoberis handcuffed him and walked out of the room. Loki stood still. The Kree prodded him in the back with a knife.

“Move.” She demanded. He followed the girl.

She led him through many corridors. Loki still wasn’t sure if he was on a ship or not. There were rooms that made him think he was on a ship. There were rooms that made him think he was in a palace. Then they were in what looked like a shuttle bay. The three of them stepped into a small room. The windows opened and Loki saw that he was, indeed, in space. He saw the massive ship he had been held captive in, and he saw the planet they were descending to. It wasn’t a long trip, and it wasn’t a large planet. It seemed like small asteroids held together with bars of metal. He saw a courtyard, a throne, and many steps. The ship landed near these steps and the girls forced him off the ship and up the stairs. From what he saw of the planet, Loki figured they were leading him to the throne courtyard. He was alone, without the protection or companionship of his brother. He hated to admit it, but he was scared. He was already regretting his decision to let go of the staff, and with each step he took, that regret and fear intensified. With every second that passed, he missed Thor more and more.

Finally they were at the crest of the planet, and the end of the stairs. Their destination had been the large courtyard, and at the far end of the courtyard was a floating, stone throne.

The girls led Loki to the ground in front of the throne. Only now, Loki noticed a hooded figure that stood off to the side, because it approached. It bowed to the girls. The Kree girl spoke,

“We have brought the prisoner, Father.”

“Good.” The voice didn’t come from the hooded figure, and at the voice, it retreated to the shadows once again. The voice seemed to come from everywhere, but Loki knew instinctively where it truly came from. The throne slowly turned around, and he saw who was king of this darkness.

Loki was fifteen hundred years old. He had been taught magic by his mother and fought in bloody and gruesome wars with his brother and friends. Nothing he had seen before had instilled this much fear in him. He couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t speak. He had been taught his mother’s magic.

And he knew. He already knew.

The enthroned figure smiled menacingly.

“Son.” He said.

“Kneel.” The Kree hissed. Loki did the only thing he could think to do, because he was missing Thor so desperately.

“No.” he said.

The other girl kicked him in the back of the knee and he fell to the floor.

“Don’t be so harsh on him, daughter. He has done nothing wrong.”

Both the girls stepped away from him. Loki didn’t move, but stared up at the figure. Despite the feigned benevolence, Loki knew deep in his blood that this man made Laufey seem a kind and caring father.

“What is your name, son?”

Loki didn’t answer. The man smiled,

“I know far more about than you think, Loki of Asgard.”

Loki didn’t speak.

“I know you’re more lost than you’ve ever been in your life. I know you miss your brother and mother desperately.”

The man’s tone wasn’t mocking. At the same time, it felt like he was ripping away every piece of armor Loki had built up around himself. The man continued,

“I know you’re scared.” He leaned forward, “Whether or not you believe it, this shows your wisdom rather than your weakness.”

Loki stared up at the man. He could now see directly into his eyes, and though it made him ache and shaky, he kept eye contact with the Titan. He could see that now, in his eyes. He was a Titan. Though what kind of mutated, twisted Titan, he didn’t know.

“What do you want?” Loki asked. His voice sounded much smaller and more scared than he would have liked. The man smiled an almost warm smile and leaned back into the shadows.

“What do you want, Loki? I want to give you what you want.”

“Then let me go.”

The man chuckled,

“You’re free to go.”

Loki stood abruptly, and his shoulders fell. The Titan had him trapped. He couldn’t get back to Asgard. He didn’t even know where he was. The titan watched him wrestle with his thoughts, amused. Finally he spoke,

“I’m offering you a home, Loki, a family. This is a place where you will be considered an equal, where you will be loved and cared for by your siblings. You’ve already met Gamora and Nebula, two of my daughters. I saved them just as I saved you.”

Loki looked at the Titan. He knew the subtext. He was implying that Loki was indebted to him. But love for Thor burned inside Loki. He balled his fists and turned to the man, squaring his shoulders.

“Why.”

This time the titan stayed silent. Loki continued,

“You would not save me without a purpose.”

“You were an innocent child.” The man said. Loki chuckled,

“I’ve heard that before.”

The titan smiled,

“I am not as weak as Odin, son.”

“Really?” Loki laughed again, “You don’t seem so different from him.”

“You hold your tongue!” Nebula lashed out at Loki and threw her knife at him. Loki caught it.

“Stop!” The titan stood. Nebula and Loki stood down.

“He does not know what he says.” He descended the platform until he was in the courtyard.

“He does not know my purpose. And even he, who has suffered the brunt of so many of Odin’s lies, even he does not how deep they go.”

Loki frowned. What was that supposed to mean? The titan didn’t elaborate. He said,

“Loki, I could show you knowledge of the Tesseract, of the infinity stones.”

“You seek the infinity stones?”

He didn’t answer. Loki continued,

“Why?”

“To fulfill my purpose, my destiny.”

“And what is that?”

“To bring balance to the universe.”

Loki blinked. The titan continued,

“Loki, you cannot understand time like I do. You have hardly begun to live, but I have watched worlds die. I watched my own world die. Child, this universe is finite. Its resources are finite, and life continues to grow unchecked. Think of your own world. Asgard will run out of food, of housing, of land. But your people will continue to breed like cockroaches. Soon everyone will be starving. What will your children do then?”

Loki found himself reciting the words of his father.

“This light is not eternal. It had a dawn as it will have a dusk. This world was not made to endure eternity.”

“Small words from a child, reciting what he has been trained to say.”

“Why should that mean it is all lies?”

“What if you are there when the dusk of the light falls?”

Loki shrugged,

“I’ll die.”

The titan continued as if he hadn’t spoken,

“I mean to correct the universe’s path to extinction. If I had all six infinity stones, I could simply snap my fingers, and half of all life would cease to exist.”

Loki stared. Half of all life in the universe.

“Who are you?” He breathed.

“I am Thanos.”

“Father.” Nebula spoke, “The Maw has arrived with the scepter.”

“Loki. Join our family.”

“No!” The words left Loki’s mouth before he could think about what he was saying. But he meant it.

“No. No, you will never own me, Thanos, titan of insanity!”

“Who are you to speak to him this way!” Nebula bellowed. Loki whirled around. He gripped the knife he still had.

“I am the god of mischief.” He disappeared. Chaos broke loose, and Loki grinned. This was what he knew. Thanos and his children scrambled around trying to find him, but he slipped through their grasp and dashed down the staircase. He ran into another hooded figure, but dodged hitting him on the way down. He boarded the ship at the base of the stairs and flew away from the planet.

That had been the plan. Instead, Loki smashed right into the figure coming up the stairs and the sisters heard the commotion. Before Loki could get away, the Maw had the scepter around him, holding him trapped to the floor.

“What shall we do with him, Father?” Nebula asked.

“Put him back in his cell. We’ll convince him later.”


	2. Chapter 2

It was many hours later. Loki was still in the cell. He had searched it several times and found nothing. They had taken the knife he had taken from Nebula.

The door opened. Nebula and The Maw walked through.

“Come with us.” The Maw said as Nebula handcuffed Loki. Loki knew what was next: torture.

The Maw led Loki down the halls of the ship and they came to a little room off of what looked like the main power and propulsion systems. Loki was startled by how bare it was. There was a control panel off to the right, and a door. It was small. It had a handle that had to be latched and unlatched when opened or closed. It looked like a door you would find in a woodstove. Loki tried to swallow, but his mouth was too dry. Nebula shoved him forward.

“He’s all yours, Maw.”

The Maw raised a dismissive hand and Nebula left. Loki watched him as he fiddled with a few controls on the panel. He looked up at Loki.

“The engines that power this ship produces a massive amount of heat. We’ve had quite a bit of trouble channeling it and discharging it. One of my inventions has been this.” He gestured fluidly to the door, “It’s a simple device. A chamber, locked from the outside, just large enough to hold a humanoid. Or, a whole humanoid... I simply remove the heat absorbent barrier, and the excess heat from the engines heats up the box.” He paused and messed with a few more switches on the panel, “The sides of the box become untouchable. The perspiration from the humanoid trapped inside causes the air to become humid. I can keep you in for longer because, well, you don’t need oxygen. If you were human, I would need to give you air to keep you alive. But, most conveniently, that’s not necessary.” He waited for Loki’s response. Loki looked at the box, then at the Maw. He laughed,

“Your master, with all his ambition, with all his proclaimed strength… this is the best torture device he can come up with?”

The Maw continued to smile serenely at Loki.

“My Lord Thanos has nothing to do with this. He charged me with the task of showing you the beauty of salvation.”

“And your method is torture?”

“Loki of Asgard, you may claim to be of Odin’s blood but there is something strange about you. Your body temperature is extremely low.”

Loki tried to seem as if he didn’t understand. The Maw continued,

“This is an experiment. Are you more susceptible to heat than most beings? I am excited to find out.”

They stood there for a moment, waiting. The Maw smiled and raised his hand.

Loki was violently wrenched to the floor by some unknown force. He was dragged along the ground by… the _handcuffs_! The handcuffs latched around his wrists were forcing him towards the oven. The door opened of its own power and by the handcuffs, Loki was forced inside. Just before he was completely inside he caught glimpse of the Maw, grinning. He was doing this.

Then the door closed, and it was pitch dark. Loki was curled up in a small box. He couldn’t adjust himself, couldn’t move. That was bad enough. But then the metallic box began to heat up…


	3. Chapter 3

“Why do you want me?”

The Maw paused as he opened the cell door. He thought for a moment and then shut the door. As he slowly unlocked Loki’s shackles, he spoke,

“On Midgard, humans would shepherd domesticated animals, often animals that cannot fend for themselves, cannot even stand, without a shepherd. The infant animal will run off, and the shepherd will seek it out.”

Loki was completely unshackled. The Maw began to lead him to the torture chamber. Loki’s footsteps dragged. The Maw continued to speak,

“Often times when the shepherd finds the lost animal, he will break its legs.” He paused, “Then he will drape the infant animal around his neck and carry it home.” He turned around to face Loki.

“Dear Prince, this is salvation. This is Thanos, the good shepherd, breaking your legs. If you will but accept salvation, he will drape you around his neck and carry you home. But you have to let him.”

Loki looked at the Maw.

_Why_ had he let go of the staff?

The Maw continued on and put Loki back into the chamber. Loki didn’t struggle. He allowed the Maw to shove him back into the oven. He was in blackness again. As the metal he was lying on began to heat up again, he closed his eyes. He breathed a silent prayer to the dark,

“I’m sorry… so sorry.”

Teardrops hissed on the now hot metal. He knew that somewhere, Frigga was mourning him. He knew that Thor was missing him. He missed them, too. There was no escape for him. He no longer had the strength in him to escape. Maybe he should just agree to become a child of Thanos.

But then he would be pitted against Thor and against Asgard. He knew Thanos’ goals, and he would not be a part of them. He did not have the strength to escape, but he did still have strength left to resist.


	4. Chapter 4

The Maw was pushing Loki into the chamber again. How many times he had done this, Loki didn’t know. He had lost count. They were startled when Gamora threw open the door.

“Maw!” she cried. The Maw whirled around,

“Yes, sister?” he spat. Gamora glared daggers at him,

“Bring him to the planet. Father wants him.”

“What for?” 

Gamora was already leaving, but she called behind her,

“The Tesseract.”

The Maw looked at Loki, who was sitting on the ground, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

“Well, your majesty,” the Maw handcuffed Loki, “It seems your time has come.”

Loki was too tired to ask what he meant. They made the trip to the surface in complete silence, Loki completely broken. Loki knew where he was going, and he was relieved. He would be killed. The torture would end, and he would have won. He had not helped Thanos, he had not cracked, and he would no longer be a danger to his family.

All of the children of Thanos were gathered. They were gathered around Thanos’ throne, each trying to speak.

“I will go and get the Tesseract. I will not fail you, father!” the horned girl knelt low.

“You wouldn’t stand a chance!” Nebula hissed, “Let me and Gamora retrieve the Tesseract, father.”

“You have your assignment!” The hooded man growled, “You and your sister are to assist Ronan in gaining the power stone.”

“Maw.” Thanos called.

“Yes, sire?”

“Bring Loki forward.”

The Maw dragged Loki forward and thrust him at the foot of the stairs. Loki managed to stay upright, but he wouldn’t raise his gaze. None of the children spoke. Slowly, Thanos descended. Loki could hear his footsteps. He was standing right in front of him. Thanos knelt. Loki was expecting execution. He was expecting painful death. He was expecting asphyxiation.

Thanos tenderly put a hand under Loki’s chin and lifted his face upward. Loki saw pain in the Titan’s face.

“Your brokenness inside matches your brokenness outside.”

Loki didn’t say anything. He didn’t care enough to say anything. Thanos nodded slowly,

“That ends today, Little One.”

Loki found the courage to smirk.

“You’re right, it does.”

To his surprise, Thanos shook his head.

“Not the way you’re thinking. But it will save you nonetheless.” He stood.

“Loki came to me lost and broken. He resisted salvation because of his pride. But that ends today. Today, Loki, you will be found.”

Loki shook his head.

“No. No, I will never help you in your insane quest.”

Thanos turned to the hooded figure,

“The scepter.”

The hooded figure bowed low and handed to Thanos the scepter that the Maw had brought the day Loki’s torture began. Loki eyed it apprehensively.

“I give you a gift, Loki of Asgard, and a quest. I will bring you out of the ashes and exalt you.”

He aimed the spear at Loki’s chest and gently pressed the tip of the spear to Loki’s chest. Loki assumed it was to aim. But he held it there. And Loki felt it.

All of the torture he had endured had been painful but this… this was terrifying. He felt him lose control. He couldn’t speak, couldn’t stand, couldn’t scream. Even the horrible, throbbing pain that came with this was nothing compared with the reality of losing control of consciousness.

The strain, in his already weakened state, was too much. He passed out at the feet of Thanos…


	5. Chapter Epilogue

Gamora greeted Loki this time, but now it was under different circumstances. Loki slowly sat up. He was in a bed, not on the floor. He was in new clothes, not his torn, worn Asgardian armor. He seemed to be in a dormitory.

“Loki?” Gamora asked. Loki looked up at her. She took a few steps towards him. She crossed her arms and looked him up and down a few times.

“How are you feeling?” she asked gently. Loki looked around. He looked down at himself. He flexed his hand. Already he was stronger.

He grinned.

“Never better.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah, this is a really short thing, but I hope you liked it. It was fun to write anyway.  
I've got a lot more stuff planned. I've got a few BuckyNat shorts that are just waiting to be published. I'm also working on rebooting my awful Agent Mardex series. Gosh, that was horrible. Please do me a favor and move on with your life and forget that that horrendous thing existed. Thankyou, I appreciate it.  
Anyway, thanks again for reading!
> 
> -insaneinlv has left the chat


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